Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal can help create a slaughter-free America, with all the good that entails, by increasing federal funding for cultivated-meat research. For readers who are unfamiliar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without killing. This new protein will reduce animal suffering, pandemic risk and greenhouse-gas emissions.
In a sign of progress, the world’s biggest meat company, JBS, recently purchased a cellular-agriculture firm, BioTech Foods. The deal includes $41 million to build a factory capable of producing 1,000 tons of cultivated meat every year. According to Elliot Swartz of the Good Food Institute, this would be 5–10 times the capacity of similar facilities that have been announced.
More public investment in cultivated-meat research is needed for the technology to reach its potential. This will help address significant challenges, such as achieving price parity with slaughtered meat and developing whole-cut products, like steaks and filets. If our legislators have the will, we can move toward a slaughter-free America that’s better for our fellow creatures, our health and the planet.
Jon Hochschartner